Mikel Arteta says he has spoken to Granit Xhaka following his explosive interview in the wake of Arsenal’s defeat at Newcastle, but insists players must be free to speak their minds in post-match interviews.
Monday night’s 2-0 loss at St. James’ Park means the Gunners’ Champions League hopes are hanging by a thread ahead of the final day of the season, needing to beat Everton at home and hope Norwich pull off an upset victory over Tottenham.
Xhaka was scathing in his criticism of Arsenal’s performance on Tyneside, claiming they did not deserve to be on the pitch and accusing some players of lacking "balls to play”.
Arteta confirmed he had spoken to the Swiss international about his reaction and added: "What we do in the dressing room, we don’t comment but the moment you allow a person in front of a microphone it is to express what their feelings are.
“Granit is someone in front of the microphone, in front of your eyes or in your face, there is nothing different.
“You have to ask him exactly what he meant or who he was pointing at. The comments are clear and then it's down to who is it directed to - is it somebody or is it himself?”
Xhaka was berated by former Manchester United defender Gary Neville for his comments, the Sky Sports pundit branding the midfielder a “disgrace” and questioning whether he had been calling out the club’s young players.
However, many other commentators praised Xhaka’s frank assessment in comparison to the stale responses more regularly trotted out in the wake of damaging defeats and when asked whether his player had overstepped the mark, Arteta added: “I prefer not to comment too much on that but when you allow people to speak in front of the media you have to allow them to say what they feel. Unquestionably, knowing Granit, that's what he felt.”
